Chapter 62
“Good morning, Nina. Did you sleep well?”
“Mm-hm. What about you, Messi?”
“I slept fine too.”
“…Why aren’t you greeting me?”
“Because I have a feeling you might be upset because of you-know-who.”
Caught off guard, Katya scratched her cheek awkwardly, sneaking a glance at Nina.
Nina shook her head.
“I’m not mad. But… what are those guys doing right now?”
She pointed at the fake security guards, who were suddenly shrieking and hopping around like lunatics.
Messi shrugged.
“Looks like… morning calisthenics.”
“Oh…”
“Seems like everyone’s busy. Should we go have breakfast on our own?”
“Yeah.”
The three children happily headed off to eat breakfast together.
Behind them, the noisy adults kept bickering and grabbing at one another while tagging along.
The Anubis branches scattered across the continent were unique in that, aside from the headquarters in Lojas, they operated like a loose cell structure.
As long as the tribute payments came in on time, headquarters rarely interfered.
That meant summoning the branches was unusual unless it was a serious emergency.
Furthermore, for Rabian—head of Anubis and the former exiled prince—the imperial capital of Vinner was like a personal backyard, different from Lojas.
It was where he had acquaintances from his days as a young prince, and many comrades from the naval war who had fought and suffered alongside him.
That was why, whenever he visited Vinner, he rarely bothered bringing subordinates.
The first place he went upon arrival was the central police headquarters.
Unlike Lojas—where the city guard doubled as both law enforcement and investigative authority—in Vinner, the guard and the police were separate institutions.
At a glance, it looked as though Rabian was walking in to turn himself in. But of course, he had not the slightest intention of surrendering.
He was simply there to meet an old acquaintance he had contacted in advance.
“Hey, Rabi! Long time no see!”
The moment he arrived at the station building, someone bounced toward him cheerfully.
She had a youthful face, a small frame, and such animated movements she could almost be mistaken for a teenager—but she wore a full investigator’s uniform.
Still better than that guy Dite, Rabian thought.
At least this one was a woman.
He greeted her lazily.
“Yo, Karin. Congrats on your promotion.”
“Ha! That was ages ago—only now you’re congratulating me? Anyway, how’ve you been? You look taller. A little thinner than last time, though. Are you eating properly?”
Karin peppered him with questions nonstop, clinging to his arm and hopping as she spoke.
It wasn’t affection or flirting—just her usual uninhibited behavior.
Rabian didn’t bother shaking her off.
“Instead of worrying about me, shouldn’t you take care of your husband? You sound exactly like a mom nagging her kids.”
“Friends can worry too, can’t they? How are the others? Is Dite doing well? Still the same ridiculous fashion sense?”
“Don’t even start. That guy being the guard captain is the very definition of corruption.”
“Hahaha, so he hasn’t changed a bit. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”
Though it was still fairly early, the sun was already dipping low.
Unlike warm, dry Lojas, Vinner was still in the grip of winter, the snow not yet melted.
The two stepped into a bustling restaurant-bar nearby and ordered some light dishes and drinks.
“…Why do they keep sneaking glances at me?”
Rabian grumbled irritably. Karin gave a wry smile.
“You seriously don’t get it?”
“Not a clue.”
The place was packed with detectives, it being near the station. With his dangerous aura screaming thug at full volume, Rabian naturally stood out.
But none of them dared pick a fight or call him out.
Because whether senior or rookie, no police officer in Vinner could fail to recognize who he was.
Years ago, right after the war ended, Rabian—still a prince at the time—was in a foul mood one day.
Unluckily, the place that caught his eye was a Black Flame Dragon cult’s mage tower. Soon after, the police chief received a report that the Second Prince was tearing apart a Black Flame Dragon.
The chief rushed to the scene personally to escort him.
Hours later, the chief was discovered hanging naked from the mage tower’s balcony by his subordinates—while Rabian had vanished.
Two weeks later, Rabian suddenly resurfaced off the coast of Norland, piloting a yacht in a drunken stupor with a noblewoman suspected to be the king’s sister. He was arrested by the coast guard.
The Vinner police, who had received him from the coast guard, still referred to the incident as a legendary case.
Though Rabian himself seemed to have completely forgotten it.
“You really have no conscience.”
“Took you this long to realize?”
In any case, it was common knowledge in imperial society that Rabian and Karin had been friends since childhood, so no one would bat an eye at the two being together.
As they drank, Karin finally got down to business.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised. Didn’t expect you to take an interest in this case. Tell me—did someone hire you?”
“Who the hell would commission a kidnapping investigation from a gang?”
Even as he said that, Rabian recalled what Cheshire had mentioned—the client.
A man who had lost his daughter years ago, clinging to a hopeless dream.
In this world, there were parents like that… but also those who would sell their children off without a second thought.
“Still, you never know. Sometimes you guys are better suited than the authorities. If my daughter were ever kidnapped, I might come to you first.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
Her daughter was six.
Same age as Nina.
What was Nina doing right now?
He could still picture her little red nose as she cried.
Rabian shook off the lingering thoughts and steered the topic back.
“Anyway, tell me what you’ve got. I doubt the newspapers printed everything.”
Karin glanced around before pulling a small notebook from her uniform and handing it over.
Notes she had made on the scene when Lord Daut was discovered.
Rabian skimmed it lazily—then suddenly furrowed his brow.
“…A mark on the neck?”
“They only told reporters about the fingernails, but I was there. I saw it myself. There was definitely a ligature mark—like something had been tied around his neck.”
Technically, what investigators called a strangulation mark. But Lord Daut had been alive.
Was it a failed murder attempt—or just another bizarre “signature” like the fingernails? There was no way to know.
“Guess we won’t know until the next victim.”
“As grim as that sounds… yeah.”
Rabian set down his glass and lit a cigarette.
Karin pulled out a pipe and smoked with such visible pleasure that he had to ask.
“…Is this your first time in ages?”
“Cut me some slack. At home, I can’t even dream of it because of the kid. Do you know how hard it was quitting during pregnancy?”
“…Fair enough. So what about that young lord? Doesn’t remember the culprit’s face?”
“Looks like trauma. He can’t recall what happened clearly. I thought he’d lay low for a while, but apparently the entire Daut family is planning to attend the royal banquet during the festival.”
“They’re going to a palace banquet…?”
“Strange, right? I was surprised too. Doesn’t seem good for the child. I mean, the longer they stay shut in, the worse the rumors will get… but still.”
“High society is ruthless.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine the rumors swirling around a child who had been kidnapped and returned.
But something about Karin’s expression felt… off.
“What’s bothering you?”
Pressed, she hesitated.
Her pale eyes flickered uneasily.
“…It’s something the kids were talking about. I don’t even know if I should say it—”
“Say it.”
